Baal HaSulam, “The Peace”: From the beginning of Creation, all people have reservations, and the Thought of the Creator necessitates them to come to the feast, knowingly or unknowingly.

This plan certainly will be fulfilled, and it is all a matter of time. After all, the evil forces we develop return to us like a boomerang, pressuring us and bringing us to the right decisions.

The goal will be obtained one way or the other, and we actually are bringing it closer by using our developing ego incorrectly so that eventually it acts against us, forcing us to respond.

On the whole, until recently, the process of evolution was good for us. We developed new tools, introduced competition, built a banking system, developed commerce, discovered continents, and basically, everything was just fine since it helped us advance.

However, in the 20th century, we exhausted this form of development and for the first time began to see that there is a limit to our advancement. We found ourselves at a dead end. We have exhausted our ego and today it is beginning to destroy itself. We have seen clear signs for that for a while now. In 1971 for example, the gold coin in the US was replaced by a paper note. The eruption of the ego had many consequences, but the main lesson was that future problems will force us to change our lifestyle, the formula of human existence.

The question is whether blows will force us to grow wiser and to understand how to avoid problems along the way, or whether we will be able to identify what is coming in advance and begin to change ourselves.

Slow evolution will lead to totalitarian forms of government like in Germany or Soviet Russia in the first half of the last century. These are the two ultimate forms of the ego’s development, and we may be witnessing them again. What is more, this is exactly what we are advancing toward; however, today, it is called “Armageddon,”or we can force ourselves artificially against our growing ego to develop the good, anti-egoistic force of bestowal instead of the force of receiving between us.

So, let’s develop this way. This is actually what Kabbalists tell us: use the force concealed in nature. It can dominate us just as our ego dominates us today. So far, the evil force has dominated the good force, receiving dominated bestowal. However, now, the force of bestowal can dominate the force of receiving. This means that they will be balanced just as the wisdom of Kabbalah explains and teaches us how to understand the balance between them. After all, it is impossible to use only one of the two forces. The force of bestowal, absolute love, can be a destructive force. Generally speaking, each of the forces blinds a person, and he doesn’t see anything before him. If we accept one force only, we will be captives of that force. Only the right balance of the two forces we find inside us is called the Adam (Man) in us. It brings us to the realization and to the true feeling, to receiving and to bestowal, that allows us to use all of nature and build ourselves in the middle of these two forces.

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, there is no other way that we can develop. In the worst case, we will reach it through blows and sufferings. However, the blows will not create the right form in us. We must make the choice by ourselves, make decisions, and gradually establish it inside us so that we will grow wise and understand the connection between us and the Creator through our efforts to build our home, the Divinity (Shechina).

However, we are like a stubborn kid who refuses to learn, and so the troubles come: the disciplinary measures that force him to begin learning. If he would learn from his books, there would be no need for the blows. On the contrary, he could save time and avoid the sufferings.

It is actually impossible to advance on the path of “in its time” (Beito) since then you stay in the same place without moving, like a donkey, until you are beaten and have no other choice.

Baal HaSulam, Shamati#1 “There Is None Else Besides Him” …There are things in the world, which, to begin with, aim to divert a person from the right way, and by which he is rejected from Sanctity.

And the benefit from the rejections is that through them a person receives a need and a complete desire for the Creator to help him, since he sees that otherwise he is lost.

Therefore a person needs the right society, a society that corrects and adjusts him, reminding him what the goal is and putting him back on the right track. Thanks to the society, he does not divert from the path because of the different obstacles but initially regards them with the right intention.

The moment a person establishes the right intention in order to reveal the good upper providence, that “There is none else besides Him,” he totally changes his attitude toward life. He understands that everything around him is a theater that is meant only to reveal that, and so he sees God’s hand in everything.

If he focuses himself correctly, he advances and grows stronger, and sees how the Creator gives him an opportunity to get closer to correction at any given moment.

And he, who always feels that the shattered is greater than the whole, meaning that there are many more descents than ascents, and he does not see an end to these states, and he will forever remain outside of holiness, for he sees that it is difficult for him to observe even as little as a jot, unless by overcoming above reason.

“Faith above reason” means that I see many reasons that keep on growing both in quantity and in quality, and it disturbs me and doesn’t allow me to concentrate. It tears me to pieces that I cannot say that they stem from the “good that does good,” and that “there is none else besides Him.”

I must oppose the sources of evil, but, at the same time, remember that it is only an external expression of the Creator’s attitude toward me. In my corporeal life, I must relate to these hardships as is customary in our world. It is said that the world keeps on turning, but in the internal, spiritual dimension, I must treat it on a different level, on the human level, Adam (man), one resembling the Creator (Domeh). I must use all the states for connection and for getting closer to the Creator.

Here, too, a person feels split and finds it hard to be on two dimensions simultaneously since one annuls the other. However, this is all our work.

In this world, we engage in matter according to certain laws. We work, take care of our family, our children, our job, and on making a living just like everyone else. However, at the same time, we also engage in high spiritual matters.

Although we suffer because of the different problems in this world, when we ascend to the second level, to the spiritual dimension, we are constantly in adhesion with the upper force, with the good that does good. Our efforts on these two levels gradually bring us to revelation.

It is because the gap between corporeality and spirituality, which we keep without getting confused and without blurring, brings us to demand the revelation of the Creator. The corporeal and the spiritual states in which I operate correctly by separating them become increasingly more extreme, scary, unpleasant, and painful. They actually tear me to pieces, and I cannot justify the Creator. I must do something since otherwise the Creator, “There is none else besides Him” and the good and benevolent, disappears from me. So, I struggle in order to reveal Him. It isn’t because I feel bad in my corporeal life, rather, because I understand that the unpleasantness that is given to me is so I will decide that there is none else besides Him and that He is good and benevolent.

However, I cannot do that, so I cry out, ask for help and weep, but not for myself, not in order to ease my corporeal life with the support of “There is none else besides Him” and the good that does good.

Thanks to the right work on the two dimensions, I come to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter whether I feel good or not. What’s important is that I don’t want to lose the Creator, the good and the benevolent, since otherwise I convict His providence. For the first time, a person begins to build his vessels correctly, and in order to do that, he needs the revelation of the Creator. He doesn’t want to ease his work that way, but he asks for power that he doesn’t have naturally, the Creator’s attribute. He doesn’t ask for it for his own benefit, but so that he wouldn’t curse the upper providence, the Creator’s uniqueness.

A person’s work, called God’s work, is to discover that “there is none else besides Him” and that “He is good that does good.”[146615]From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/29/14, Shamati #1

Baal HaSulam, Shamati#1 “There Is None Else Besides Him”: It is written, “there is none else besides Him.” This means that there is no other force in the world that has the ability to do anything against Him. And what man sees, that there are things in the world that deny the Higher Household, the reason is that this is His will. And it is deemed a correction, called “the left rejects and the right adducts,” meaning that which the left rejects is considered correction.

“There is none else besides Him,” means that everything that happens is a result of one domination, one influence, although it seems that there are two forces or even more. People believe that there are many different forces in the world or at least two: good and evil.

But it is all because the upper force, one thought, one goal, which means one domination, operates on us in different ways. These actions of the one providence seem different and opposite to such an extent that it is as if they are in a struggle against one another.

We don’t understand the point in the good or bad, happy or tragic events that we and the surrounding world go through. When we look at what is happening around us, we cannot attribute the two opposite forces of good and evil to one goal, to one domination. It is actually on this point that we should focus all our clarifications. All the commandments in the Torah are meant for this, in order to help us reveal that behind the multitude of forces operating on us and dominating us, there is only one domination. All our work is to clarify that there is none else besides Him. This is our main goal.

Moreover, we discover that this one force is good and benevolent. Every action at every moment in our life is according to the domination of the one, upper providence. Therefore, our goal should be to try and yearn to discover the only domination at any given moment and to justify it as the good and benevolent.

We reveal the good and benevolent to such a degree that we begin to love the upper force, as it says: “Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This is how we should recognize His actions, by discovering in all my vessels that the upper providence is unique and good.

At the same time, it is actually the opposite form that is revealed in every desire and in every thought that we have, negating the fact that the upper force is good and benevolent and that there is none else besides Him. We, on the other hand, have to work on all our vessels and to ask for corrections in order to discover that the Creator is the only force operating in the world and that He treats us with infinite goodness.

The decision that there is none else besides Him puts a person on the right track of life. He already knows what he has to do at any given moment of his existence.

In fact, this is the only thing a person needs. He only needs to worry a little about the basic necessities of his corporeal body on the animate level, while all his efforts and resources should be focused on that in order to get closer to the revelation of there is none else besides Him and that He is good and benevolent in any possible situation, even if they may be negating each other.

Then a person discovers that everything he has been through in life, all the worries and the confusions, were only meant to help him discover in even more depth and breadth, the uniqueness of there is none else besides Him, and of the good and benevolent.

Then we see that the only goal of our work and our existence on this planet in a state called this world is meant for this revelation of the upper force. We will then continue our work on other levels, on all the 125 levels, until the end of correction so that we will all feel in each and every vessel and in all of them together that there is none else besides Him and that He is good that does good.[146568]From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/29/14, Shamati#1

The Torah, “Leviticus” (Acharei Mot) 18:25-18:27: And the land became defiled, and I visited its sin upon it, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. But as for you, you shall observe My statutes and My ordinances, and you shall not do like any of these abominations neither the native, nor the stranger who sojourns among you. For the people of the land who preceded you, did all these abominations, and the land became defiled.

The Hebrew word “Eretz” (land) stems from the word “Ratzon” (desire). Those who obtain a desire that helps them focus them on the revelation of the Creator need to correct the laws that were broken.

A stranger is a person who acquires and adapts himself to a new level. He is still in his old desires, which are not on the new level yet, but he already enters the new level. Those who yearn for the Creator can be called strangers, which means that they only enter this level or that they already acquire that level called Israel, Yashar-El (straight to the Creator). Among them there are common folks, Levites and priests (Cohenim).

Thus, it says in the Torah: “For you were strangers…” but we were strangers in the land of Egypt since we had to go through it and to take the immense desires of Pharaoh from it. Only then was it possible to ascend to the levels of the spiritual worlds.

Without the descent to Egypt we wouldn’t have been able to acquire egoistic desires. All this work that is later described takes place after the exodus from Egypt, when a person absorbs all these desires and can already correct them.

It is because all the desires of incest and impurity that were taken from Egypt are corrected on the way to the ascent to a level called Eretz Israel (the land of Israel). This means that the corrected Egypt is called the land of Israel.[146338]From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 3/19/14

It wasn’t easy for Abraham to disseminate his ideas since most Babylonians were against his method.

He believed that everything stems from one force, although it later splits into many opposite forces that have no free will.

The Babylonians, however, claimed that there are several forces that managed the world and that they were all connected by a system of different mutual relationships. The mythologies about different gods that fight one another, devour one another, have children, and so on emerged from this basis.

Abraham refuted all these beliefs, but at the same time he understood that he would not be able to lead all of Babylon. This was the dramatic situation in which he found himself. According to his method, it is possible to attain the goal of creation only when every person in the world recognizes and realizes that there is only one way to reach one form which we create among us by connecting into one whole. The main point is the internal unity among us, despite the heterogeneity of our corporeal bodies.

We have to take care of the body, give it what it needs to maintain its existence, so that rising above it, one engages in the connection and unity between us and advances towards the goal. This is called the evolution of the human being within us. Moreover, this human being is our general image.

By uniting internally among us, we receive one general image called Adam (man – with the same root as “Domeh” – one who resembles the Creator), which was the same name given to the first person to investigate the spiritual world.

Abraham went through a rough path before he discovered the method of spiritual connection and unity. His first teacher was his father Terah who taught him according to Noah’s method. Terah believed that paganism is justified and Abraham tried to accept his views until he rebelled against his teacher. This is the dramatic breaking point, the disagreement with the teacher, when the student outdoes his teachers by ascending to a level above.

On the other hand, however, Terah tried to force his teachings on Abraham and showed him all the bad qualities and the evil in polytheism after which Abraham could find the right way. He realized that only one force of goodness and love manages the world, and it includes the evil force, only so that it will be used to ascend above evil.

By discovering this, Abraham became an innovator, a revolutionist, who changed the course of history and showed humanity the right path.[146343]From KabTV’s “Short Stories” 10/15/14

Who would have thought that the atrocities and anti-Semitism like we are witnessing today could take place in the 21st century and lead humanity to such a miserable state in which it seems to be sinking into a dark abyss once again? It is as if our ego is dropping and our mind is totally lost, thus annulling all of humanity’s experience and its whole existence for ages.

Savagery is raising its head again. It seemed there was a time when we learned something after so many centuries and so many mistakes! But no, barbarism is once again revealed and moreover, it is on a totally different level and disregards anything else. This is taking place together with an unprecedented development of weapons that can destroy all of humanity. Will we be able to achieve order by using them now?

Why is it so? The age of enlightenment has passed and everyone saw the way to future happiness. But today we have descended much lower in the level of our values and expectations.

100 to 150 years ago studying, science, art, and culture in general were valued and respected. People in their sixties still remember masterpieces of poetry and literature and evenings of discussions and debates. If a person wasn’t interested in that, he was considered ignorant. He was ashamed to admit that he didn’t read or participate in these activities.

A young person’s goal was to absorb all the pearls of humanity and its cultural achievements. Science may not have attracted everyone, but there was a general acceptance of the demand for culture, which appealed to everyone.

Moreover, absorbing culture was supposed to be in such a way that it would make something out of you and educate you so that people would see that you were intelligent. While in the 1930’s this was shameful, it was respected in the 1960’s.

At the same time it, was shameful to show that you were physically strong. On the contrary, if a person was skinny and weak, but looked like an intellectual, he was a model for others. Girls admired him and not other types.

When I was a student, authors like Vazenski and Yavtushenko were still young and new. Literature was on the rise, and poets like Akodjeba and Wisotzky were born before our very eyes.

I was also part of a small group in Leningrad and participated in literary, artistic, and musical clubs. Looking hopefully at the bright future of humanity, we couldn’t imagine that barbarism would return and that people would kill one another without even counting the casualties.

In short, not long ago, everything was just the opposite, but the following decades brought about terrible imbalances. Half a century has passed and everything has totally changed in a way that no one could ever have thought possible.

We see that the laws of nature are fixed. They are revealed to us alternately, displaying the same pictures so that we will learn from all these transformations and see what is important: that we must understand these laws and use them correctly. We cannot simply flow with the current, but rather we must apply these laws and not wait for a better brighter future. We must build it with everyone beginning with oneself.[146461]From KabTV’s “Babylon Yesterday and Today” 9/24/14